In a Deadline interview published yesterday, Amazon Studios boss Jennifer Salke discusses interest in developing a Mass Effect TV series.
According to Deadline’s article, the plans for the show are, “nearing a deal.” Aside from this brief mention, however, there are currently no other details about the potential show. As of now, there is no information on what the story would look like. We also don’t know if it will retell the story from the games or if the show will focus on entirely new characters within Mass Effect’s world.
In the past, other companies attempted to translate BioWare’s critically acclaimed RPG series to the world of film. Although Legendary Pictures once had long-term plans for a feature film, the project was eventually scrapped. Mass Effect veteran Mac Walters explains that the problem with doing a movie is that the limited run-time.
In an interview with Business Insider, Walters explains that TV is a better medium. That’s because he believes each mission in the games is like its own episode. Walters adds that a two-hour movie would not be able to do the games’ story real justice.
If you’re going to tell a story that’s as fleshed out as Mass Effect, TV is the way to do it. There’s a natural way it fits well with episodic content.
Mac Walters
How Mass Effect fits into Amazon’s long-term goals
The potential Mass Effect series would be part of Amazon’s long-term strategy for Prime Video. The focus of their strategy is to develop a genre niche by producing high-quality sci-fi and fantasy shows. Salke emphasizes the importance the genre is for the platform.
You will see us continuing to invest in fantasy genre of all kinds. We have a genre-focused team on the ground in Studios who work tirelessly with our creative partners on those slates, and you can look forward to more.
Jennifer Salke
Amazon is already implementing this plan with the recently debuted The Wheel of Time. In addition, they will air the upcoming Lord of the Rings prequel series on their streaming service. A Mass Effect series would further cement Prime Video’s goals.
If a deal to make the show truly is near, what would you hope to see from a Mass Effect TV series? Let us know what you think in the comments!
Via Eurogamer
